The story On the Way Home by Jill Murphy is about a little girl with a hurt knee walking home to tell her mother how it happened. Along the way she meets several friends and tells them each a fabulous tale of who was responsible for her injury - a big bad wolf, a flying saucer, a dragon...
Adult-led
Fantastic story
Enjoy reading the story with the children, and explore the concept of fantasy and reality with them.
Key learning intentions
Communication,language and literacy: Listen to and join in with stories in small groups
Communication,language and literacy: Sustain attentive listening, responding to what they have heard by relevant comments, questions or actions
Personal, social and emotional development: Respond to significant experiences, showing a range of feelings when appropriate
Adult:child ratio 1:whole group
Resources
On the Way Home by Jill Murphy (Macmillan, 4.99) * story props * cloth * basket * mat
Preparation
* Gather together your story props and place them in a basket covered by a cloth.
* Read the book to make sure that you are familiar with the story.
Activity content
* Sit on the floor or a low stool so that the children do not have to crane their necks to look up at you.
* Ensure all the children have a clear view of you and the book.
* Place a mat in the middle of the floor on which to place the props as you use them.
* Look at and talk about the book cover, title, author and cover illustration. Ask the children what they think the book might be about.
* Read the story, using the props as appropriate.
* Ask questions along the way to encourage predictive thinking.
* Talk about telling the truth, rather than talk about telling lies.
* Reassure the children if they are perturbed at, for example, a snake appearing in a residential area similar to where they live! Be sensitive and talk through the scenarios with them - 'Would a snake really live in a tree by some houses in the street?'
* Encourage the children to join in with the repetitive phrases 'Look at my bad knee' and 'How did you do it?' Encourage strong inflection, eg 'How did you do it?'!
* Look carefully at the illustrations and talk about the places that Claire passes on the way home such as the shops and the letterbox. Talk about the children's own journey home.
* Talk about the fact that Claire is older than the children in your setting, which is why she can walk home by herself. Explain that one day they will be old enough and grown-up enough to go on their own.
Extending learning
Key vocabulary
Book, title, front cover, page, author, illustration(s), picture(s)
Questions to ask
What do you think this book is about? What/who can you see on the front cover? What has happened to Claire? Do you believe Claire's stories? Why/why not? Was Claire telling the truth? Do you believe her? What do you think will happen next? Will she be at her house yet or will she meet another friend? Shall we turn the page and find out? What can you see on this page?
Extension ideas
* Leave the book and visual aids on the talk table for the children to revisit and access independently.
* Bury some of the story props in the sand tray and read the story out loud as the children play. You will get some excellent imaginative play as a result!
* Compare the way the illustrations are set out in Jill Murphy's book with the way stories are set out in magazines familiar to the children.
* Provide a small-world hospital and talk with the children about what happens when they hurt themselves and who helps them at home and in the setting.
* Share with the children the traditional tales involving characters from the book, such as 'Little Red Riding Hood' and 'Jack and the Beanstalk'.
* Share other books by Jill Murphy, such as Five Minutes Peace and All in One Piece (Walker Books, 4.99 each). Make a display of Jill Murphy books.
* Share stories about journeys and being looked after when hurt (see box).
* Provide a selection of plasters for the children to sort by shape and size.
My journey home
Let the children tell you their own fantastic imaginary journey home to tell their parent or carer about their hurt knee!
Key learning intentions
Communication,language and literacy: Use vocabulary and forms of speech that are increasingly influenced by children's experience of books
Creative development: Enjoy stories based on themselves and people and places they know well
Adult:child ratio 1:1
Resources
* A4 paper coloured mounts * A4 white paper * media for drawing and colouring, such as coloured pencils or felt-tip pens * stapler * On the Way Home by Jill Murphy (Macmillan, 4.99) * name cards
Preparation
Make a simple four-paged book for each child by inserting a folded piece of A4 in a folded piece of A4 coloured card and staple along the fold. Write the book title on each of the books.
Activity content
* Tell the children that they are going to write their own story called 'On the Way Home'. Point out the title on the front cover. Like Claire, they need to make their way home because they have hurt themselves.
* Encourage the children to write their own names on the front cover because they are the author of their book, just as Jill Murphy is the author of hers. Use the children's name cards to support their efforts if necessary.
* Ask the children to think about how their story starts. How did they hurt themselves? Use the language framework from the book - 'On the way home I met my friend ...; 'Look at my bad knee,' I said. 'How did you do it?' asked (friend's name).
* Encourage children to create a fantasy story to tell their friend about how they hurt themselves. Some children will use a scenario from the book for this while others will have their own ideas.
* The story ends when the children reach home. What happens once they are home? Who helps them?
* Ask the children to illustrate each page.
* Read the stories with the children as a group. Display them in the setting for parents to access.
Extending learning
Key vocabulary
Book, story, cover, title, author, write, tell, beginning, end, illustrate, draw, colour
Questions to ask
Can you write your name? Do you need your name card to help you? Can you find your name card? Have you ever hurt yourself like Claire? How is your story going to start/end? What happens next? Did that really happen? Can you draw a picture to illustrate this page? Can you draw a picture of that?
Child-initiated learning
Add story-related resources to aspects of your permanent provision so that children can develop and consolidate their learning.
Outdoors
Additional resources
* Post box and letter writing materials - paper, pencils, envelopes and stamps (buy a sheet of 1p stamps)
* large snakes and ladders game (with plastic mat)
* role-play house
* role-play corner shop with goods, shopping baskets, a till, money, bags and purses
Possible learning experiences
* Experiencing mark-making and developing confidence in writing and writing letters to friends and carers in the setting.
* Learning to problem solve through folding their letters to fit an envelope.
* Playing as part of a group; taking turns through playing the game snakes and ladders.
* Enacting and playing out familiar roles through role-play experiences offered outside that link into themes from the book.
The practitioner role
* Encourage children to talk about their letters - ask them who they are writing to. Ask them to tell you what they have written.
* Encourage children to try folding their letters to fit them into an envelope.
* Talk about features of letter writing such as the address on the envelope with the children.
* Talk about taking care when 'climbing up' and 'falling down' during the snakes and ladders game.
* Support children's imaginative play through asking open-ended questions such as 'Are you on your way home?' and 'What did you buy from the shop today?', 'How much did you spend?', etc.
Creative area
Additional resources
* Paint, paper and paintbrushes
* selection of materials to represent animal skin such as fur and lino, paper, glue spreaders and PVA glue
* play dough
* rolling pins
Possible learning experiences
* Painting from observation; looking closely at the characters from the book and choosing one to paint in detail.
* Experiencing and exploring materials and textures through creating an animal skin collage.
* Developing rolling skills using play dough.
* Moulding models of animals and characters from the story.
The practitioner role
* Support colour matching skills when children paint the characters from the book. Let them draw the character they have chosen first if they want an outline to their picture.
* Encourage descriptive language when the children create their skin texture collages. Ask open-ended questions, such as 'What does that feel like to touch?' Encourage the children to describe what they see as well.
* Model rolling skills with play dough.
* Model the language of shape and size with the children.
Water area
Additional resources
* Small-world crocodiles, snakes, wolves, gorillas and dragons
* leaves, real or artificial, green food colouring
* selection of plasters such as waterproof and fabric, plastic dolls
* selection of information books on animals represented in the story
* milk powder bottles, jugs and funnels
Possible learning experiences
* Entering into small-world fantasy play with a variety of wild animals by creating a crocodile swamp or a snake pit.
* Understanding that information can be retrieved from books through looking up facts about the dangerous animals being played with in the water.
* Tending to dolls with 'grazed' knees and investigating which plasters work best in water.
* Exploring the concept and language of capacity through filling and emptying containers such as milk bottles.
The practitioner role
* Colour the water dark green and add the leaves.
* Ask the children where they think dangerous animals live, to assess their knowledge and understanding. Reinforce the fact that dangerous creatures such as crocodiles and snakes can only be found in zoos in this country.
* Respond to any questions they have by referring them to the information books available. Find out the answers to their questions with them, reading to them from the books.
* Talk about why they have applied plasters to the dolls and which plasters work best.
* Model the language of capacity with the children.
STORYBOOKS
* 'People in the Street' by Shirley Hughes, a poem from The Big Alfie and Annie Rose Storybook (Red Fox, 4.99)
* Dexter's Journey by DC Lacey (Egmont Children's Books, 3.99)
* Bertie and Small's Brave Sea Journey by Vanessa Cabban (Walker Books, Pounds 3.99)
* Rosie's Walk by Pat Hutchins (Random House, 4.99)
* Walking through the Jungle by Julie Lacome (Walker Books, 4.99)
* The Train Ride by June Crebbin (Walker Books, 4.99)
* Kiss It Better by Jan Ormerod (Walker Books, 5.99)
* Felix Feels Better by Rosemary Wells (Walker Books, 3.99)
